My household of pizza eaters can’t seem to shake off the idea of not having it homemade per week. We do enjoy the occasional take outs and all but making your own version at home is better. I say this with much conviction because I’ve bonded over my kids many times while creating our favorite pizza dishes.
I recommend that you try it. If you haven’t made pizza at home, please do so. It won’t even have to be the fanciest kind like this one. I just threw in some cherry tomatoes to balance out the bacon. You must use the freshest Parmesan you can find for this as it would create a world of difference on the taste. While watching the cheese melt on the pizza, you’d never forget what it feels like to create something so good from scratch. Your kids will thank you, I promise.
Ingredients
Caramelized Bacon
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 teaspoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon
Pizza
- Pre-made pizza dough (if using frozen, make sure to thaw well before you start the recipe)
- Tomato sauce, enough to cover the pizza (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
- 8ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1handful basil leaves, roughly torn
Directions
- Begin by preheating oven to 385°F. You can choose between a wire baking rack on a sheet lined pan or a broiler pan lined with foil to use on the crust.
- Next, mix together sugar, nuts, pepper, salt, cayenne and ¼ cup of Parmesan using a food processor until everything is finely ground. Then add in the maple syrup and pulse. Stop until moistened and soft.
- Start cutting the bacon in half and lining them up in a separate pan or rack. Spread the sugar mixture evenly over the bacon pieces. (You may find this mixture difficult to spread at first but as you do it, don’t worry about not making each piece perfectly even).
- Take the remaining Parmesan and sprinkle over the bacon pieces. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. (They won’t be completely done but once added on to the pizza and baked, they would be caramelized). Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F and place rack on the top third level. Then on a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough and make a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Pinch every tear on the piece and seal it while folding the outer edge to create a border.
- Transfer dough on the baking sheet; spread the tomato sauce over it leaving about an inch border around the edge of the pizza. Next, add in the cheese by sprinkling over the pizza. Do the same to the cherry tomatoes. You may slice the bigger pieces in half.
- Bake the pizza for about 20-25 minutes. Lastly, add in the bacon slices and return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Use a metal spatula and slide onto the board. Sprinkle over some basil as garnish and cut the pizza slices. Best served warm.